Research Fellow in Modelling and Monitoring of Arctic Flooding Experiments Full-time

Research Fellow in Modelling and Monitoring of Arctic Flooding Experiments

UCL Earth Sciences is one of the oldest centres for earth and planetary sciences in the UK, situated in Bloomsbury in the heart of London. The Department is housed in the refurbished Kathleen Lonsdale Building (inaugurated by Sir David Attenborough in April 2018). The completion of this £28M project means that we have modern teaching laboratories now co-located with our research laboratories.

Our Department is a friendly and welcoming place to work, with many opportunities for career development within an exciting and dynamic teaching and research environment.

About the Role

This Research Fellow post is funded for one year in the first instance to support the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) project focusing on Re-thickening Arctic Sea Ice (RASI). As part of the “Future-proofing our climate and weather” opportunity space, this role focuses on the experimental evaluation of climate-cooling interventions through targeted sea ice thickening.

The post holder will play a critical role in supporting the project's field campaigns, specifically focusing on flooding experiments designed to increase ice thickness. They will be responsible for the scientific analysis of field data, providing the expertise necessary to evaluate the efficacy of these geoengineering strategies. A key component of the role includes providing high-level satellite support and geospatial analysis for the Nares Strait ice arches and chosen field sites ensuring field observations are contextualized within broader regional dynamics.

Working at the intersection of experimental physics and climate science, the successful candidate will lead the production of scientific papers and technical reports. They will provide specialized expertise on geoengineering strategies, linking local experimental results to large-scale climate impacts. The post holder will be expected to communicate findings to project partners, contributing to the strategic development of ice-restoration technologies and their potential role in stabilizing the Arctic climate system.

The post holder will be expected to play a leading role in the scientific evaluation of Arctic sea ice re-thickening strategies, bridging the gap between field-scale experiments and regional satellite observations. Main duties include:

• Providing logistical and scientific support for ice arch and flooding experiments, ensuring high-quality data collection and analysis to evaluate ice-thickening efficacy.
• Leading the satellite support for the Nares Strait ice arches and experimental sites utilizing radar data products to analyze ice thickening progress.
• Maintaining an excellent publication track record by writing high-impact papers and technical reports that link experimental flooding results to broader geoengineering strategies.
• Actively engaging with Northern and Indigenous communities and other key stakeholders in polar geoengineering to ensure research is transparent, collaborative, and ethically grounded.
• Overseeing the processing and storage of field and satellite datasets, ensuring all results and figures are integrated into the project's centralized directory.

About You

The successful candidate will have a PhD in a related science subject, and a track record of research on sea ice flooding and thickness processing. Experience of working with radar data products (e.g. SAR, altimetry), and of working with satellite remote sensing of sea ice and its snow cover is essential.

Advanced computer programming skills and skill in statistics and geospatial data analysis are also essential.

What We Offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Visit

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits

to find out more.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.

Available Documents

• RF – Modelling and Monitoring of Arctic Flooding Experiments – JD&PS.pdf